Chapter 46: "The Codeword is..." – Deception and trickery come into play as people transform into other teammates to try and steal scrolls. Sasuke and Sakura fend off a poor copy of Naruto, then set a password which Naruto forgets. As another separation occurs, the false Naruto gives himself away, revealing himself as a Grass ninja that challenges all three of them alone.

Chapter 47: "Predator" – Naruto barely escapes a huge snake’s belly. Sasuke and Sakura contend with the Grass ninja, who seems to be two steps ahead of each of them and controls another huge snake, even possessing a snake-like body. At the last moment, Naruto shows up with a grand entrance to distract the snake-man.

Chapter 48: "The Purpose is" – Sasuke tries to negotiate with the snake-man, but Naruto refuses to back down, enraged to the point of going berserk with the monstrous fox’s chakra emerging again. After once again dodging being eaten, Naruto manages to take down the biggest snake summoned yet right in front of Sasuke.

Chapter 49: "Orochimaru" – Introduces Orochimaru. Anko is alerted that prior to the exam, foul play took the lives and even faces of three Grass ninjas. The one currently battling the team is someone from Anko’s past. Naruto's Kyuubi chakra is disabled by the snake-impostor’s sealing, while Sasuke makes a stand. His skills impress the Grass ninja, who leaves him with a different seal and a name to follow.

Chapter 50: "I Must..." – With Sasuke and Naruto completely incapacitated, Sakura cries in desperation. Anko arrives with the intent to kill Orochimaru, her former sensei and mentor who used and discarded her, but fails. He reveals his plans; to eventually start a war with and steal strong ninjas from Hidden Leaf. Leaving Anko to retreat with a heavy threat, three of his new pupils close in on the team...

Chapter 51: "The Beautiful Beast" – Introduces Dosu and Zaku. Sakura grows weak protecting her friends and surviving. As the Sound Trio approach, she is threatened but before they grow close to their target, Sasuke, they are knocked back by Sakura’s self-appointed protector, Rock Lee.br>

Chapter 52: "Condition of Usage" – Lee digs deep into his bag of tricks and uses a forbidden move, the Omote Renge (Front Lotus), to protect Sakura. However, his numbers disadvantage against the Sound Trio soon causes problems as they gang up on him.

Chapter 53: "Sakura's Decision" – The Sound Trio reveal their use of air vibrations as their weapons. Sakura is held by her hair as Lee is also taken out. After a hard choice, Sakura cuts her hair to free herself, spoiling her best physical feature to ensure the safety of Sasuke, Naruto and Lee.

Chapter 54: "Sakura and Ino" – Introduces Kin. Sakura tries her most desperate moves against Zaku but still fails to defeat him. Ino comes to save her childhood friend and rival along with her team after being unable to stomach seeing her take such a harsh beating.